Rob Key Compares Cultural Anthropologists to Online Marketers
October 17, 2007 11:33 am Social Media
Social communities are extremely important to their users and are a crucial part of their daily web experience. It is an interactive environment that leads to so many other websites. For example, you might start off at Facebook, and then find yourself on your reader checking out some blogs you have subscribed to. Afterwards you will log onto your Digg, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and Sphinn accounts to share what you?ve just read and give your opinion. Once you are done, you might stay around for a little while longer to vote on or bookmark the piece. The opportunities for online interaction don?t stop there. They are growing at an exponential rate.
At the SMX Social Media Conference, Rob Key (CEO of Converseon) compared virtual communities to real ones. Cultural anthropologists are like online marketers now. According to the Karmic Communication Theory, it is strongly advised that online marketers discover and learn the community before they participate in it. Prior to becoming an active member, one has to befriend community elders, respect their traditions and learn the language. This knowledge better enables the marketers to integrate and acclimate to this online community.
A great example is a 3-D virtual world called Second Life. Residents are able to create an avatar and function, interact, buy, sell and trade in Linden dollars, experience, and utilize all the resources available. These capabilities are not even touching the surface of what Second Life enables you to do. As Key emphasized during his presentation, it is of the utmost importance to understand the norms and ethos of the continent in order to maximize on the opportunities it offers.
The evolution of the online world has a tremendous impact on the way people interact with one another. Social shifts are very evident and the natural movement from one website to the next confirms Key?s point. People are lured by change. But we should be sure to stop, observe, and learn before we engage.
Technorati Tags: SMX Social Media, Rob Key, Second Life, Social Networking
